Anti-Venom
by HumanBarricade
Summary: Harry Osborn has been put into a coma after Doc Oc unleashed the Anti-venom symbiote upon him. Released into his father's care, Harry tries to find out why he is acting so strangely and if this new symbiote is still inside of him.
1. Chapter 1

I wake up to my father's face. His graying red hairs stick out in strange directions. Red eyes travel up and down my body. There's water all around me. It's some sort of liquid oxygen chamber. The teal lights inside make everything an unnerving greenish color. All sorts of tubes and wires are attached to me along with a breathing mask. I barely manage to move my right index finger.

"Harry?" my father says, unsure if I'm actually awake.

In my head, I smile. I want to nod. Instead I blink. At least I can do that. He places his hands on the glass and stares up at my open eyes. I can't tell if he's crying. I want to ask him why I'm here. This doesn't make any sense.

"You're awake," he whispers to himself.

Suddenly, he runs in the opposite direction. With all of my being I want to yell for him, but I can't. My arms and legs feel so heavy. Just moving my hand slightly forward is a chore. My fingers brush the glass as I fall unconscious again.

* * *

Soft, linen clouds seem to create a cocoon around my body. Two large pillows support my heavy head. One big red blanket greets me as I cast my gaze towards my feet. This is my bed. I must be home.

Groggily, I pull one hand out from the covers and rub my eyes. My muscles feel stiff. Turning my head towards my window, I see the sunlight dissipating around the cityscape. Was that whole liquid chamber thing a dream?

I sit up in my bed. The rest of my body is just as stiff. I flex my fingers and toes, stretch out my legs and arms, and finally stand. Now I'm sore instead of stiff. Wobbling a little as I walk, I get to my door frame. I don't see my father in his room or his office. In fact, the penthouse is really quiet.

"Dad?" I say into the empty hallway. My voice sounds quiet and timid.

Cautiously, I tiptoe down the stairs, unsure of my footing. He's not in the living room. The lights aren't even on down here. I find the switch. Bright white light rains down on the piano, the flat screen, and every piece of modern art needed to make the large room feel less empty. There's a strange trail of crumbs at the entrance of the kitchen.

I kneel down. Touching the rough particles, I realize that they're not food but ruble. I stare into the dark kitchen. My father might be in there. Turning on the lights, all I notice is a broken countertop and a strip of red fabric on a sliver of it. Web designs cover it. Spider-man. I walk over to the scene. Did my father attack Spider-man?

As I stare at this piece of his suit, I start to remember something. Spider-man and I were fighting Doctor Octopus and I was in my Patrioteer suit. Something came at me. I remember losing myself. It was a white symbiote. Staring down at my hands, I wonder if it's still inside of me. They always seem to be.

"Harry?! You're awake!" my father exclaims from behind me.

He walks over to me wearing his Iron Patriot armor. I freeze as he hugs me.

"What happened? Why are you—?" I ask.

Nonchalantly, he replies, "Nothing, don't worry about this mess."

He leads me into the living room. Something feels off about him. That broken counter in the kitchen concerns me. The piece of Spider-man's suit is still in my hand. I quickly shove it into my pocket.

"I'm glad that you're awake. When you were in that coma I was so worried about you. Octavius is a very dangerous man. I should have never let you out of my sight with him out there."

"And the symbiote I picked up?"I ask.

My father bites his lip. Looking away from me, he sighs.

"It's gone, right? Dad, that thing isn't still inside of me, is it?"

"Harry, I think you need more rest. You should eat something and go back to bed."

I clench my fists. Why is he avoiding my questions? There's something really off going on. I decide to go with it and grab a yogurt from the fridge.

Once I climb the stairs, I make my way up to the top of the penthouse instead of my room. I quickly spoon the yogurt into my mouth. What is he hiding from me? From the way he's dodging my questions, it's like he's saying that that new symbiote is still attached to me. That doesn't make any sense, though. Shield would never let me go if it was. But that scene in the kitchen. Maybe Spider-man knows.


	2. Chapter 2

Venom always listened to me. He was fueled by my emotions, specifically my rage. I don't know what this new symbiote is elicited by. He could be the opposite of Venom or maybe just stronger. Whatever it is, he isn't listening to me. I can't control him. He isn't trying to control me. That's all assuming I still have the symbiote.

I heave a sigh. This is stupid. I've been up here for nearly an hour pacing around trying to figure out if this Anti-venom symbiote is somewhere in me. For all I know my father is being cautious. The symbiote is probably gone.

"Psst, Harry, over here!" someone whisper-yells from behind me.

Turning on my heels, I see Spider-man atop a ledge. Finally, someone who should answer my questions. I quickly walk over to him.

He adds, "I'm glad that you're awake."

"What's going on? I found this in our kitchen," I say, holding out the fabric from his suit.

He nervously rubs the back of his neck.

"Your dad and I kind of had a fight. I came by to try to apologize, but he didn't take it too well. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"Is Anti-venom still inside of me?"

We're both silent. His white eyes stare down at me.

"Spider-man, answer me!" I shout, throwing the torn piece of his suit on the ground.

"I don't know," he sighs. "We did tests, scans, everything we could. Shield didn't find anything, but they were searching for Venom since that was the symbiote their systems were familiar with."

"Why would you let me go if this thing could still be in me? Why wouldn't you try to get rid of it?"

"We couldn't find anything to get rid of. It was just gone. And your dad wanted you home. I had to let him take you."

I can't believe him. It's like he didn't even try to get rid of Anti-venom.

Pointing at myself, I yell up at him, "Do you know what it's like to have some slimy goo take over your body and attempt to murder your father?! I don't want that to happen again. Get this disgusting thing out of me!"

He leaps down and lands in front of me.

"Harry, unless the symbiote shows itself again, I can't," he explains, touching my shoulder.

"Get away from my son!" I hear my father demand from behind me.

I turn my head to see him in his Iron Patriot armor. Spider-man instantly backs away.

"I don't want any trouble, Norman. I just came by to apologize to Harry," Spider-man insists, raising his hands.

My father says to him, "Oh, you should be doing much more than apologizing. Do you want to explain to him how he was in a month-long coma? How that symbiote you let Octavius attach to him left another boy unable to use his legs? How you did absolutely nothing to protect him when you had promised me that you would personally watch him? You're hardly worthy of being called a hero, Spider-man. Because of your incompetence I've nearly lost my son multiple times. I will _never_ let that happen again."

He lands next to me and approaches Spider-man. The two stare at each other for the longest time. No one mentioned that I was in a coma before, or for a month for that matter. And that I hurt someone. I glance over at Spider-man myself.

"Norman, I needed his help."

"Shut up! Get out of here. I never want to see you around here ever again. And if I do I swear that I will make you bleed."

Spider-man visibly shrinks down. My father's condescending words are getting to him. I've never seen him talk to someone this way before. Not even me.

"Dad—" I begin.

His glare remains on Spider-man while he blurts, "Harry, get back inside."

"But I—"

"NOW."

Reluctantly, I retreat indoors. A pit grows in my stomach. I feel guilty for leaving Spider-man at the wrath of my father. Leaning against the door, I listen for any sign of a fight.

I hear Spider-man say, "You saw what Hydra did. Carnage symbiotes were everywhere! Harry had a bit of anti-venom left in his system. That's all I came for that night. He had the only thing that would lead to a cure."

What?! Spider-man said there wasn't any sign of the symbiote. Why would he lie about that?

"You didn't even ask me," my father growls. "You broke in like the criminal that Jameson claims you are. What if you had hurt Harry or even killed him in the process of getting that supposed cure?"

"Harry is symbiote-free because of me."

"He wouldn't have had a symbiote if it wasn't for you!" he yells, shooting something. "When will you learn that you cause the danger you have to save people from?"

It all goes silent again. My hand curls up against the door. Did he hit Spider-man? Metal stomps on the pavement towards the door. Quickly, I stand up and run downstairs, finding refuge in my room.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is officially an Alternate Universe where the Symbiote Saga events played out a little differently.**

* * *

"Harry?" my father calls outside my door.

He softly knocks.

Still catching my breath, I reply, "Yes?"

"Could I come in?"

I'm not sure how to feel about all of this. He attacked Spider-man, but Spider-man lied to me. There was some sort of symbiote outbreak from what they were saying earlier. Both of them are avoiding saying much about Anti-venom. They're treating me like a child again. I don't know what to do besides hear my father out.

I slowly open my door. Luckily he isn't in his armor anymore.

"What's going on, dad? Why have you been avoiding my questions?" I ask.

"Harry, this is a complicated situation. You've been through so much, emotionally and physically. I just want to keep you safe," he insists. "Please, sit down and I'll try to explain it to you."

"All right."

We both sit at the foot of my bed. I watch him mentally prepare himself. He touches my shoulder and looks me in the eyes.

"You're my only son, the only person that I have left. Octavius nearly took you away several times. I'm not letting you get involved in Spider-man's battles anymore. Not while you live under my roof."

"But dad—"

"No. He has no right to drag you in. And you have no reason to join the likes of him. Besides, you just came out of a coma. You're lucky to have woken up," he says, tightly hugging me after the last bit.

Realizing that I'll get nowhere with him by arguing, I ask, "Do Peter and MJ know?"

"They've visited you a lot during your coma. MJ mostly, though."

"I should go see them," I say, standing up.

My father stands and decides, "They can come visit you here. You need to regain your strength anyways. I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

I never thought I'd hear him say something like that. Then again, he's not talking about my grades. I'm grateful that he's caring; I just wish that I could get some space.

* * *

As soon as Peter and Mary Jane come into the living room they both hug me.

"I'm so glad that you're finally awake," MJ says.

"You were out for so long," Peter adds.

They both smile at me. I haven't seen Peter in a long time, but, simply being unconscious, I feel like I saw MJ just yesterday at school.

Peter asks, "How are you feeling?"

Smiling back, I answer, "I'm fine, really. My dad won't let me out of the house."

"Harry, you were in a coma," MJ reminds him. "He's just worried about you. And so are we."

"I know, I know. Do you guys know why I was in that coma?"

The two glance at each other. That's odd.

MJ replies first, "Your dad said that you had an infection of some sort."

"Er, yeah, that's also what I heard," Peter mumbles.

Something in their voices tells me that they know that real reason. Peter can't even look me in the eyes. It's like everyone has agreed to keep silent about Anti-venom and what happened while I was under its control.

"Oh," is all I manage to say.

"Relax, you're all better now," Peter assures me, setting his hand on my shoulder.

His reassurance reminds me of Spider-man moments earlier. Then again everyone has been assuring me that I'm better. I don't know if they know I am or just think I am. They probably just like to think that I am.

"I hope so. I can't believe I've missed a month of school."

"Don't worry, Har, I'll help you catch up."

"What about your science immersion school?" MJ asks him.

Peter bites his lip.

He nervously replies, "Well, I'm sure I could get some time off from it. I've missed you guys a lot. It's nearly the end of the school year, too."

"I left a stack of homework in your room while you were, you know, out. There are packets, handouts, and the like," MJ chimes in.

"I missed the big math test, didn't I?" I sigh.

"Yeah. You'll be able to take a makeup version. Peter and I will help you study."

She puts her arms around both of us. It feels nice to be able to hang out with Peter again. School hasn't been the same without him there.

I tell them, "Thanks you guys. I, um, I don't know when my dad will let me out, though. Maybe I'll focus on the homework first and tests later."

"No problem. And it's good to have you back," Peter says.


	4. Chapter 4

_"_ _Burn it out. Burn. I need to cleanse it. Destroy it. All of it. They need to be purified. He's still diseased. Patient Zero. I have to cleanse him. Venom is a disease."_

 _The words come out of my mouth, but I didn't say them. Massive white claws suddenly extend out towards a distant black figure. I sprint towards him. I have this need to destroy Venom. We both do. I don't ever want him back on me again. Anti-venom will cease to have a purpose if I do. He'll leave._

 _My claws pierce through his goo covering his latest host. They scream._

I shoot up in bed completely drenched in sweat. My shirt clings to my chest as I peel it off. After turning on my lamp, I head to my bathroom. I splash cold water on my face.

To this day I still have nightmares about Venom, about me hurting people while he controls me, but this is completely different. I think I was trying to save that guy. I was trying to hurt, no kill Venom.

Getting a strange feeling, I turn on my heals to face my bedrooms windows. Something feels close. Maybe it's…Venom. I draw nearer to the window. I can almost taste it. He's getting closer. What is he doing out there?

" _Venom_ ," I hear Anti-venom growl in my head. " _Find him_."

I shiver. He's still here. Of course he is. They always come back. It's like I'm cursed.

" _Get him!_ " he growls again, somehow willing me to take a step towards the window.

"Will you leave if I do?" I ask in a whisper.

He physically yells through me, "NOW!"

In a brief moment I'm engulfed by the symbiote. He crashes through the window, effortlessly swinging webs towards where he senses Venom. I'm certain my dad heard it.

The symbiote mutters, "Disgusting filth. He must go."

I don't attempt to fight him. If I'm right, he'll just become dormant again once Venom is gone. And Venom is evil so that's good. I only hope that Anti-venom actually stops after that.

We stop on top of a building, scanning the area. Venom and Spider-man come into view. As Venom starts to pass we leap down and tackle him onto the road. He's already burning up. Cars honk and swerve to get out of the way. I hear people screaming and see some fleeing in all directions.

"Get off me!" Venom screams, kicking us in the face.

He escapes, but the symbiote has burns all over it. I watch him lying on the ground, struggling to crawl away. Venom never had a chance.

"Hey, shouldn't you be at home? I thought you were grounded," Spider-man says, cutting us off from our target.

Anti-venom replies, "He's a disease."

"Norman is not gonna be happy about this."

Spider-man holds up his fists. I wish he would just let Anti-venom do his job. It'd be so much easier. I'd finally be free. Chuckling, we claw at him multiple times. As expected he jumps back. We stop once he jumps over Venom. Quickly, we grab the injured symbiote and begin to burn it again.

"AHH!" he screams, vainly grabbing at us.

"Let him go!" Spider-man shouts.

He swings at us. We dodge him. In an attempt to finish our job, we thwip a web and get some distance between us. He still follows. We land on a building. Venom is unconscious now. He's nearly dead. Spider-man shoots a couple webs onto him and yanks him out of our grip.

He gets up in our face and says, "Harry, you need to listen to me. You—"

"No," Anti-venom growls, batting him away off of the ledge.

"Hey!" he shouts as he falls.

We tackle Venom again before Spider-man climbs back. The black symbiote gets absorbed into our white claws. It's final screams are muffled and brief.

"He's cured," we say.

Anti-venom suddenly uncovers me and retreats into my skin. I collapse near the man who Venom once controlled.

I mumble, "Flash?"

"Harry! Agent Venom!" Spider-man yells.

He rushes to us and glances at Flash. He's unconscious, but still breathing. Slowly, Spider-man looks down at me.

"Did you…?"

"Venom…is gone," I say.

"HARRY!" a loud, metallic voice booms overhead.

Spider-man mutters, "Norman? No, no, this isn't good. He's going to _kill_ me. I'm sorry, Harry, but I need to go."

He snatches up Flash and swings away in an instant. My dad lands near me in his red, white, and blue armor. For a moment he stares off towards Spider-man but eventually looks down at me.

"What happened?" he asks harshly, emphasizing each word.

"Anti-venom came back," I reply weakly.

He sighs. Before I can move, he picks me up.

"This is why I asked him to stay away," he mutters as he flies us home.

I nearly reply, but I fall unconscious in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

"Harry? Harry, are you all right?" my father asks.

Groggily opening my eyes, I turn over on the couch to face him. He's set a blanket over me. He gently rubs my hair.

"You had me so worried," he says. "I heard your window shatter. When I saw you out there, as Anti-venom, I nearly thought I'd lose you for good. This is all Spider-man's fault for being so reckless."

"Is the symbiote still in me?" I ask, my voice cracking as I do.

"I'm not sure. I can have some tests run later at Oscorp to be sure."

I quickly sit up.

"Can't you get rid of it? Isn't there some sort of cure?"

"Shh, we'll figure something out in the morning. I promise," he assures, hugging me tightly.

* * *

The next day my father escorts me to Oscorp. A few tests are run, but nothing shows up. I insist that they double-check and look deeper. I know that he's still there. He has to be.

"There's absolutely nothing," my father sighs. "Maybe once it destroyed the Venom symbiote it destroyed itself as well."

"But Dad, he didn't die. I would have felt him die if he had. He just went back into my skin. He's still here. You have to find him," I insist, grabbing onto his shirt.

He tells me in a whisper, "Harry, please don't make a scene. I'm trying my best."

He pulls my hands off and returns to a monitor with a few other scientists. I sit back down on my table. Why won't he believe me? There's no way he can think it's really gone.

I start to wonder about the guy inside of Venom. I could've sworn it was Flash Thompson. He had the right build, the same hair, everything. So the symbiote picked him up, but that doesn't explain why he was working with Spider-man. How did he end up at Shield? How was he in control of Venom? I could never control him for long.

Getting bored of watching my dad press buttons, I decide to call up Peter. Maybe he'll get a kick out of Flash having been Agent Venom.

"Hey, Harry, what's up?" Peter asks.

"I attacked Venom last night," I reply.

A good amount of silence passes.

"W-what? How? Are you okay?"

"I picked up another symbiote, Anti-venom. That's the real reason I was in a coma. Anyways, he attacked Venom and destroyed him. You'll never guess who was inside."

"Wait, you have another symbiote? Does your dad know?"

"Yeah, of course. He's trying to see if I still have it. We're running tests here at Oscorp. But I swear that I saw Flash Thompson inside of Venom."

He laughs, "Flash? You're joking, right?"

"No. Peter, I saw him. Flash was Agent Venom," I insist.

"How?"

"I don't know. But I never got to find out for sure because my dad brought me back home asap."

"I'm just glad that you're okay. Not sure I believe you about Flash being Venom, though. Maybe the guy just looked like Flash."

"Ugh, maybe you're right," I sigh, noticing my dad coming back over to me. "I got to go."

"Goodbye. And be careful."

I slide my phone back into my pocket.

"We can't find a trace of Anti-venom in your system. I know that you think it's still there, but it's not. Harry, I think that you're finally free of that thing."

"Okay," I reluctantly agree.

I don't believe it at all, but I can tell he's tired from worry. He deserves some rest. He's done so much for me lately.


	6. Chapter 6

Because of my broken window, I sleep on the couch in the living room. My dad decides to stay with me for the night.

"You don't have to worry about me this much," I mutter, clutching a fluffy blanket.

"I'm worried about Spider-man or one of his teammates showing up again. Surely they're not happy about you attacking Agent Venom."

"Why would they come after me?"

"You know how persistent Spider-man can be," he says, staring out the window. He then looks back at me and grabs my hand. "I just want you to be safe."

I do my best to try to sleep while he works on his laptop in the chair next to me, but the blue light irritates my eyes. He starts typing very loudly. I pull the blanket over my head and cover my ears. It's going to be a long night.

* * *

Early in the morning I get up. My dad is asleep in the recliner with his laptop still in his lap. I head towards the bathroom until something stops me dead in my tracks.

"Spider-man?" I say, squinting.

I can hardly believe my eyes. He suddenly covers my mouth with a web and grabs me. Up close I see that his costume is different. There are no web designs at all. He's just red and black. He ties my hands behind my back and injects me with something. I fall unconscious.

* * *

Gritting my teeth, I open my eyes to find myself in a containment chamber. It looks like something made for the Hulk. I peer outside the thick glass. Computers and lab equipment fill up the room outside. Doctor Octopus suddenly comes into view.

"Ah, Harry Osborn. You're finally awake," he says with a grin.

He begins pressing buttons and checking monitors near my cell.

I warn, "My dad will find you."

He chuckles, "I doubt that."

"What do you want?" I ask.

"I remember the days when your father was the Goblin. He would've been a great member of my Sinister Six, but he was hardly controllable. You, on the other hand, are because of your symbiote. And I know just how to use it."

After pressing a button, another container descends from the ceiling. A blonde girl stares at me and presses her hands to the glass. I know her. Liz. She was in biology with Peter and I a year or two ago. How did he get her? Why her?

"You know Ms. Allen here, don't you? She seems to be quite fond of you. It's a pity you have to meet her again like this."

"Let her go!"

"After going through all of the trouble to get her? No. I have plans for her."

Her container opens as he brings a slender metal tentacle to her neck. A long needle protrudes from it. I feel Anti-venom getting antsy now. Doc Oc injects her with something. She screams and grabs her neck. Her container closes. I watch in horror as she transforms into a lesser version of Venom. The symbiote he's given her is clearly weakened, but Anti-venom predictably takes control and bangs on the glass.

We growl, "Must cleanser her."

"Yes, in time, but first I have a job for you," Oc snickers. "I need you to help collect Dr. Morbius. Scarlet Spider will accompany you along with the Vulture."

The guy who looked like Spider-man appears from the shadows along the bird guy who attacked my dad and I a while back. Oc then opens up our container. We rush to Venom. She backs up and hisses at us. We stalk around her cage looking for any weaknesses. The whole time she backs away.

"She needs to be purified," we say, hitting the cage.

It's stronger than we expected.

"There's no use in trying to break that. Neither of you are getting in or out of that anytime soon. Not even a drop of water could get in. Do as I say and you'll get her, eventually."

I don't trust Octavius. He's insane. He tried to hurt my dad and I so many times. There's no way to get rid of Anti-venom now, though. We need to cure Liz. He's going to use that. There's nothing else I can do besides do as he says.

My dad will find me. He'll notice that I'm gone. He and Spider-man will know that it's Oc. They'll figure out a cure. Yeah. I hope that they will.


	7. Chapter 7

Before letting us go to find Morbius, Oc slaps a strange bracelet onto our left arm. It dissolves into Anti-Venom's goo. He then leaves to his monitors.

"The Vulture is going to look for Morbius in the sky while you and I look for him on the ground. He's nocturnal so our best chance of finding him is at night, but if we want to catch him off guard we'll have to wait until morning to actually get him," Scarlet Spider explains to us.

Anti-venom and I both feel impatient. We want to get this guy now. Then we get Liz. It can't be that simple, though. If he was easy to catch they wouldn't need me. Oc will have me do countless favors for him and use her against me.

He hands me a communicator and adds, "We don't want to run into Spider-man or his teammates. No confrontations with any of them. Stay out of sight and if you do see them, report their location so that we can avoid them."

It's uncanny how the Vulture stays silent in his armor the whole time. Soon he flies off leaving this spider guy with us. We wait for him to lead the way. By the way he closely watches our every move he clearly doesn't trust us.

"I hope you're worth the trouble," he grumbles, leading me into the sewers.

* * *

We spend hours scouring the sewers for anything. I've never seen this Morbius guy, but Oc said he was bat-like. I feel relieved when Scarlet decides to split up with us.

 _I could get away to my dad_ , I think.

Anti-Venom asserts out loud, "We need to destroy Venom."

 _If we got my dad he could help us get it_.

Suddenly, we stop walking. We sense something. Our eyes scan the large pipes for anything.

 _Oc will just use us_.

"Shut up," he whisper-growls, pushing my consciousness down.

I try to hold on. I hate not knowing what I'm doing. Waking up without any memory of what I did as a monster is horrible.

 _I'm. Staying_.

A shadow darts from one tunnel to the next. We stay still and on guard. Whatever is out there is distracting him.

"You need to sleep," he decides.

A distinct darkness clouds my vision. I feel myself drift off while he takes control.

* * *

 _"_ _Daddy?" I say softly, approaching a figure sitting on a wooden bench._

 _I recognize his red hair and the black suit he wore. My small hands nearly reach out for him until I see his sad expression. He holds a bouquet of flowers in one hand and presses the other to his face. I watch him cry. Fidgeting with my sleeves, I look up at him._

 _"_ _Why did mommy go away?" I ask._

 _His sobbing instantly stops. Glaring down at me, he drops the flowers._

 _He shouts, "This is all your fault. She never would've gotten sick if it wasn't for you. You came along and killed her!"_

 _I cringe from his harsh tone. My eyes start to water. He's never been so angry before._

 _"_ _I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _You should've never been born. She was the only person I ever loved. My dear Emily."_

 _He begins to cry again, holding his head in his hands. Slowly, I turn and walk away. Guilt violently eats away at me. I'm the reason my father hates me. He'll never love me because of this._

 _I blink and suddenly I'm older and in our penthouse. My dad smiles at me._

 _"_ _I want to be a better father to you," he says, touching my shoulder._

 _I'm speechless. He's not just cured, he's better. One accident and he suddenly cares about me again._

 _He adds, "All I want is for you to be safe."_

 _"_ _I'm fine. I'm almost eighteen," I reply, taking his hand off my shoulder._

 _Then I lose myself again._


	8. Chapter 8

"Good work," Octavius' sickening voice praises.

I blink. Anti-Venom and I are standing on the neck of Morbius. He attempts to mutter something, but we easily silence him.

"You can visit your little girlfriend, but no touching," he chuckles, revealing Venom's container.

We press our hands against her glass. Learning that we can't get to her, Venom punches as us. We hardly flinch.

"You can't get usss," she hisses with a crooked smile.

"I will cleanse you," we promise her.

Locking eyes with us, she says, "We don't want to be cleansssed."

I can only imagine what Liz is thinking, being inside of that thing. When I was Venom and he was in control I never remembered much of anything. Afterwards I was scared. I'm not sure what I'll tell her when she's cured, that is if I can save her.

"Now that I have you, all I need is one more member. Then I'll be ready for Spider-man," Oc explains to Morbius.

The Vulture and Scarlet Spider shove him into a container. He holds his hands over his eyes, probably hating the light. Taking note of his reaction, Oc chuckles and covers his cell with a large tarp.

He then looks back at us. Pushing a button on his screen, I feel a sharp jolt of electricity in my wrist. Anti-Venom retreats into my skin. Dumbstruck, I stare at my hands. _My_ hands.

He impatiently says, "You three can go to your rooms. And Scarlet, watch this one."

Oc gestures to me.

"Move it, kid," Scarlet groans, shoving me forward.

The Vulture follows us to a room that vaguely looks like a kitchen-living room hybrid. Several bedrooms and bathrooms are along one side.

"What is this place?" I ask.

"Hell," Scarlet replies, looking back as a large metal door closes behind us.

A loud beep comes from the Vulture's armor before he screeches and tears it off.

He shouts, "Get it off! This armor is like a prison."

Long, black hair clings to the head of a guy who looks younger than me. He's just a kid, too. He stares at Scarlet and I.

"So he's found another to enslave and bend to his will. It's cruel. All of this is too cruel," he says more calmly.

We watch him walk off to a room and close the door. Scarlet shoves me again.

"Get to your room. Oc has a damn curfew," he mutters.

"Which one is—?" I try to ask.

"Not his and not mine. Figure it out fast."

Scarlet trudges to his room. He removes his mask a bit too soon and I see the back of his head. A mixture of scars and burns covers his head. I cover my mouth. Did Oc… torture him? Feeling my heart pound in my chest, I rush to a room and slam the door. A simple bed, light, and small dresser inhabit the room. I open a singular drawer. Some basic clothes fill it halfway.

I sit on the bed and feel the bracelet on my wrist. Somehow Oc has found a way to control Anti-Venom. To make him go away. Maybe he has a cure. I shake my head. He wouldn't share it with me even if he did.

I still wonder how Oc got Liz. Why he got her specifically. It's not like we talked much after biology ended. He wouldn't know anyways. Did he pick some random person from my school? How would he know she even knew me? This guy is creepy. He had to know we knew each other somehow. Sadly, I can't save her right now. All I can do is wait for my dad and/or Spider-man. I'm in no position to be a hero. Last time I completely screwed up and got another symbiote. If I make a wrong move who knows what this bracelet will do.


End file.
